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Exploding Caterpillar
The Exploding Caterpillar is one of the many creatures in the United Wasteland which was benign before the nuclear apocalypse, but as a result of exposure to radiation over the years, has become extremely hostile and dangerous. The Exploding Caterpillar, much like the normal caterpillar, has three life-stages. First, the larval caterpillar stage, followed by the cocoon stage, ending with the butterfly stage. However, unlike normal caterpillars, not all Exploding Caterpillars would naturally continue to the next stage, with some being genetically and environmentally tailored for remaining at one stage until it dies. Exploding Caterpillar The Exploding Caterpillar stage is the developed larval form of the Exploding Caterpillar, travelling through the areas of the wasteland with high levels of flora, which help to provide both sustenance and protection from the elements. The Exploding Caterpillar is one animal which is entirely reliant on parthenogenesis, or the act of getting itself pregnant, in order to procreate. The Exploding Caterpillar is omnivorous, preferring to feast on recently living flesh, but capable of surviving on a diet of plant-life. They will often go for days without any food at all in the hope of acquiring flesh of some description, eventually turning to plant-life as an absolute final option. The Exploding Caterpillar is naturally a fairly strong creature, given it's size (approximately four foot long, and often one-to-one-and-a-half foot in circumference, on average) and lack of obvious defence mechanisms. Other than a row of small teeth and it's natural ability to produce silk which can be used to disable a hostile, the Exploding Caterpillar is virtually defenceless. Conflict with an Exploding Caterpillar can only end in three ways - with the death of the caterpillar, with the death of its' hostile or with the hostile escaping. In the event of the hostile being killed by the caterpillar, the latter will dine on the remains of its' victim, allowing it to grow and function as a creature. However, in the event that the caterpillar is killed by the hostile being, it will begin a major act of deconstruction on it's own body, taking, on average, five seconds to complete - it explodes in the vicinity of it's victim, expelling spore-like grubs, similar to Carnivorous Grubs, which latch themselves onto any living entity it comes into contact with, before burrowing it's way into the entity's body. When inside, it will begin to consume the being, eating anything it can get access to with no regard for it's own safety. On a human with a height of 6 foot tall, the grubs will often take about a week to completely consume the victim, with the victim remaining alive until days five or six, depending on the points of entry and the number of grubs. Once the victim has been completely consumed, any grubs that have consumed digestive fluids proceed to grow into Exploding Caterpillars, re-starting the cycle. However, any grubs that have not consumed digestive fluid band together to form a cocoon from the carcass of the Exploding Caterpillar which expelled them, which they hang in an overgrown area, often near Blood Drops. There has been very little scientific research into the Exploding Caterpillar, but it has been calculated that the explosion forces the grubs away from the caterpillar at a speed of approximately 125 mph, or 55.88 m/s. Using the formula below, it can be calculated that the maximum range of the grubs, with nil wind-speed, is approximately 320 metres. Cocoon Stage The Cocoon of the Exploding Caterpillar remains a cocoon until it comes into contact with the chemical alanine, most often from the blood of nearby animals, but sometimes from local plant-life. The alanine reacts with the cocoon's outer shell, dissolving all of the layers between the creature inside and the open air. Although it is uncertain what exactly happens inside the cocoon, it is heavily documented that no matter how many grubs are involved in creating the cocoon, there will only ever be a single butterfly that is born from it. "Death Moth" The butterfly itself, often referred to as the Death Moth, among other names is the almost perfect creature of the wasteland. The Death Moth maintains an average height of 50-75 metres above the ground at all times, making it a difficult target for anyone with ranged weaponry, keeping it away from most of the other creatures of the wastes and even allowing it to get around mostly unseen by those it chooses not to attack. The Death Moth has built up a strong immunity to radiation, allowing the powder that would normally be found on it's wings to now be a form of powdered polonium-210. Upon approaching a prospective victim, the Death Moth will often shake it's wings to dislodge this powder, then proceed to waft it in the victim's direction, where it will be inhaled and slowly poison the victim, often resulting in death. The Death Moth will then proceed to land on the dead body and feed upon it The main danger to the average Death Moth is time - due to the unstable nature of polonium-210, the Death Moth has a natural half-life of approximately 138 days. Due to it's reliance on the polonium dust it releases, the Death Moth will often only live for an average of 345 days before the polonium is no longer as potent as it needs to be to sustain the butterfly. Although there is no scientific research into the matter, it is heavily documented that the Death Moth will, when nearing this deadline, commit suicide by Blood Drop, which in turn will often release another of it's kind, completing the species' life cycle. Category:Wildlife Category:Creatures Category:Animals Category:NPCs Category:Hostiles Category:Enemies